Lise Nau (nee Boorse) is the great-granddaughter and great-niece of piano tuners. She was raised near Philadelphia and studied violin, flute, voice, and guitar. She holds a Master of Music degree in Voice from UNC-Chapel Hill. For more than 10 years, she taught voice and violin to private students and worked as a semi-professional singer and violinist.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to apprentice with an established technician in 1993, Lise bought the business near Wilkes-Barre, PA from her mentor David Pavlico in 1994. Within 10 years, she had a client list of nearly 400 active customers and also served as part-time Yamaha Service Bond technician. She participated regularly in activities and continuing education opportunities of the Piano Technicians Guild.
A move back to Chapel Hill, NC in 2004 challenged her to re-create her business in a new setting, and within two years she had built a client list of 165, as well as doing regular contract tunings for UNC Music Dept. Her last (and final!) move, in 2006, was to the Washington Metro area.
Lise is an active member of the Washington, DC chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild, as well as a certified Climate Control Field Expert. She studied aural tuning methods with Rick Butler of The Butler School in Bowie, MD.
A highlight of her career thus far has been preparing and maintaining the Steinway D concert grand during a three-day recording session directed by jazz great Branford Marsalis (Marsalis Music/Rounder 7494600-052). In 2008 she undertook cosmetic restoration of the 1820 Babcock fortepiano at Riversdale House Museum in Riverdale Park, MD.
Maria Membrano is our Piano Cleaning Specialist. She provides expert service tailored to the specific needs of pianos (see "Services and Costs.") Ms. Membrano cleans your instrument from the inside out, using only technician-approved methods and CORY products to protect the appearance and value of your investment. You are welcome to schedule her services through this website regardless of whether you employ Lise Nau as your piano technician. Ms. Membrano's schedule of availability may differ from Lise's online schedule.